Enrollment
138
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Whitewood, SD
Whitewood Elementary - 04
Federal NCES profile for Whitewood Elementary - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 466993000652
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitewood Elementary - 04 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of South Dakota schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 25.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 138
- students enrolled
Whitewood Elementary - 04 has class sizes larger than 71% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Meade School District 46-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 466993000652 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitewood Elementary - 04 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitewood Elementary - 04
Whitewood Elementary - 04 is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Whitewood, South Dakota, enrolling 138 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 25.7% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 138 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 118 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #76.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 690 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Meade School District 46-1 spends $9,446 per pupil, 30% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Meade School District 46-1 also operates Sturgis Brown High School - 01 (845 students) and Sturgis Elementary - 03 (531 students) alongside Whitewood Elementary - 04.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Whitewood Elementary - 04 compares
Whitewood Elementary - 04 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.7% | ▼ 11% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 138 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
138
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 71% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$9,446
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 90.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.6%
Two or More 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 90.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.6, Whitewood Elementary - 04 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meade School District 46-1, which includes Whitewood Elementary - 04.
$9,446
Per student
-30%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.4%
State 33.5%
Federal 15.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Whitewood Elementary - 04 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgis Brown High School - 01 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sturgis Elementary - 03 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05 | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stagebarn Middle School - 10 | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitewood Elementary - 04's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~138 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitewood Elementary - 04's federal record.
- Compare Whitewood Elementary - 04 against another school. Compare schools
- Meade School District 46-1's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Whitewood Elementary - 04
How many students attend Whitewood Elementary - 04?
Whitewood Elementary - 04 has 138 students enrolled. It is a public school in Whitewood, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitewood Elementary - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitewood Elementary - 04 is 15.3:1, which is 13% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Whitewood Elementary - 04?
25.7% of students at Whitewood Elementary - 04 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitewood Elementary - 04?
The largest demographic group at Whitewood Elementary - 04 is White at 90.6% of enrollment, in Whitewood, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitewood Elementary - 04?
Whitewood Elementary - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Whitewood Elementary - 04 a good school?
Whitewood Elementary - 04 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of South Dakota schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Meade School District 46-1?
Besides Whitewood Elementary - 04, Meade School District 46-1 also operates Sturgis Brown High School - 01 (845 students), Sturgis Elementary - 03 (531 students), and Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05 (514 students). See the Meade School District 46-1 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.